Month: September 2014

Animal Interfaith Alliance Chair, Rev, Feargus O’Connor, has been holding Interfaith Celebrations for Animals at this Unitarian Church in Golders Green for 10 years, to celebrate World Animal Day (WAD), also the birthday of St Francis of Assisi, the Patron Saint of Animals. On Saturday 4th October 2014 he held the 11th Interfaith Celebrations for Animals, which was sponsored by The World Congress of Faiths, The Animal Interfaith Alliance and Quaker Concern for Animals.

ORDER OF SERVICE

Words of Welcome from Rev. Feargus O’Connor.

Lighting a candle for the world’s animals and special candles for the Animal Interfaith Alliance, all animal protection campaigners and for polar bears and other victims of global warming.

On 17th August 2014, AIA board member and AVC’s Scientific Consultant Dr Andre Menache BSc (Hons) BVSC MRCVS – delivered a brilliant talk around the link between curiosity-driven research, Universities and public funding.

The general public continues to tolerate animal experiments, thinking that they are life saving. However, based on Home Office statistics, nearly three quarters of all animals used in 2013 were for ‘basic research’ (also known as ‘curiosity driven research’).

Basic research is experimental or theoretical work undertaken primarily to acquire new knowledge of the underlying foundations of phenomena and observable facts, WITHOUT ANY PARTICULAR APPLICATION OR USE IN VIEW.

Researchers are quick to suggest that their basic research on animals may one day provide a cure for this or that human disease. However, the weight of scientific evidence clearly shows that the chances of this happening are almost zero, so all this money spent on basic research using animals would be better spent elsewhere on REAL science.

When the public is asked for its opinion on basic research using animals, the response is a resounding NO. In the largest survey of its kind, the European Commission found that 70 per cent of EU citizens are opposed to basic research using animals. And here’s the crazy part: we are funding it through our taxes even though most of us consider it to be cruel and useless.

On 27th and 30th August 2014, AIA Patron Dr Richard D. Ryder debated on Radio 4’s Agree to Differ programme with vivisectionist Dr Tipu Aziz about the ethics of vivisection. What was surprising was the extent to which they agreed to agree!

Each year, the Young Indian Vegetarians present the Mahaveer Award to a person or group who has done something outstanding for animals. On 23 March 2014, they presented the Mahaveer Award to SPEAK for ten long years of campaigning for animals abused at Oxford University and to stop the cruel practice of vivisection. Nitin Mehta said to them, ‘Generations to come will remember your compassion to end cruelty inflicted on thousands of animals’.

He also said, ‘A day will soon come when this evil practice will end and, at that time, it is the compassion and commitment of SPEAK supporters that will be remembered with pride.’

‘Unless we live with non-violence and reverence for all living beings in our heart, all our humaneness and acts of goodness, all our vows, virtues and knowledge, all our practices to give up greed and acquisitiveness are meaningless and useless’